He Has A Heart After All
by Chibi StarLyte
Summary: Genis and Raine are forbidden to enter Heimdall, so Zelos sneaks out in the middle of the night to make sure they're doing okay. ZelosxGenis fluff-tastic oneshot.


My sister and I finally reached Heimdall in our recent playthrough, and this idea just kind of exploded from my brain. Uh, yeah. Not much else to it. It's just kind of generic fluff, no real romance or anything.

Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: Zelos, Genis, and Raine all belong to Namco. I wish I owned Genis, though. He's adorable.**

--

"Where are you going?!" the voice of an angry elf bellowed, breaking the silence of the nighttime.

Shit. He'd been caught.

"Um," the red-haired Chosen began, laughing nervously as he turned to face the night guard of Heimdall's entrance. "I'm missing something of mine…and I think I, er…may have dropped it…in the…forest," he lied, merely saying the first thing that came to mind. He prayed that the irritated elf would believe him.

The pointy-eared guard cocked a brow, his flawless, ageless face spelling out that he was obviously suspicious. "Can't it wait 'til morning?" he questioned, pounding the heel of his spear into the ground. "The Ymir Forest is especially dangerous this late at night."

Well, that sure put a damper on things. Gah, what to do, what to do?

Zelos unsheathed his weapon, Gladius, and swung it before him a few times in attempts to convince the persistent elven guard that he was an expert swordsman. "Even so," he said, giving Gladius a couple extra swipes for good measure, "I'm _pretty skilled _with this sword, here; I can take care of myself."

The elf snorted, shaking his head disapprovingly. "You humans are all the same," he muttered in an irritated tone. Finally, after a few moments of silence, he let out a heavy sigh. "Fine, do as you wish. Don't expect anyone to come if you scream for help."

"I won't need help," the Chosen said, his usual cocky attitude returning. "I am the Great Zelos, after all!"

"Right, well," the guard sneered, shooting a glare at Zelos. "Carry on." With a twirl of his spear, he dismissed the conversation completely, allowing the red-head passage through the gate and into the forest.

"Thanks, dude," Zelos said as he crossed the threshold, heaving a sigh of relief. Man, that was a bit harder than he anticipated. But no matter; he got himself out of Heimdall, and now he could accomplish what he set out to do.

He just hoped they weren't too far into the forest.

Darkness swelled around him the further he trekked into the foliage. He could barely make out shadowy silhouettes in the never-ending blackness; hell, he even had to squint to see the outline of his hand in front of his face. The Chosen strained his bright blue eyes searching for any sign of life that wasn't a plant or a monster.

His ears could faintly pick up the soft rippling sound of water, which meant he was heading just a bit too deep into the forest. There was no way they'd camp out on the wooden paths that wove through the trees above the surface of water…right?

Zelos paused for a moment, using all of his senses to the best of his ability. He sought out any kind of unusual sound, any misplaced fragment of light…he even went as far as hoping that he could pick up a whiff of ramen or some other food.

"Jeez, this is im-_possible_," the red-head growled, deciding on a whim to head to his right. "What the hell was I thinking? This forest is huge! How am I supposed to find them when I can't even see in front of me?!" As he continued to walk and rant to himself, his foot fell upon quite a large fallen branch, snapping it in two with a loud crack. He halted, unaware of what the sound was. His gloved hand gripped the hilt of Gladius.

"Thunder Blade!"

The presence of the foreign voice caught the Chosen by surprise, and in his moment of shock, he was nearly ionized by the lightning attack. He dove out of the way just in time as a giant thunder sword stabbed into the ground. Once the spell dissipated, he jumped to his feet, searching for the caster. His blue eyes met those of a lighter hue…cerulean irises he could see perfectly despite the surrounding darkness.

Mission accomplished.

"Zelos…?" the young half-elf questioned nervously, still holding his kendama at the ready.

"You almost fried me there, brat," the red-head said, taking a few steps toward Genis. "Careful where you aim those spells, yeah?"

His suspicion confirmed, the twelve-year-old lowered his weapon. "Sorry…," he whispered, hanging his head. "I heard this loud noise and thought it was a monster, so--"

"Meh, don't worry about it, kid," Zelos cut him off, ruffling his mass of white hair. "Where's your sister?"

"She's back at camp, sleeping," Genis informed him, ducking away from the hand that was messing up his 'do. "What are you doing out here, anyway?" he asked the Tethe'allan, his tone sharp.

"Er, well," the red-head began, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "I just…thought that I'd…you know, uh, check on you two. Make sure you're okay and all. Out here. By yourselves…," his voice drifted off. He waited for the half-elf to start chewing him out, or to call him an idiot, or _something._

But nothing of the sort came from Genis' mouth.

"Follow me," the white-haired boy commanded quietly, turning to head back to camp. Zelos opted to stay just mere inches away from Genis, afraid that he'd lose him due to his poor sight. The two shoved their way through a large bush and in between a few trees, safely reaching the campsite. The lighting wasn't much better, seeing as the fire had significantly died down to glowing cinders. The red-head stood idly by as the young half-elf set to work on returning the campfire to its former glory in silence. A few more burning materials were added to the pile of ash, and after a quick Fire Ball spell, they had a sufficient amount of light.

"…Professor Raine's a heavy sleeper, huh?" Zelos commented, bumfuzzled by the fact that the elder Sage hadn't even stirred since he arrived.

"Only when she's upset over something," Genis replied, taking a seat across from his slumbering sister. He hugged his knees to his chest, bright blue eyes concentrating a little too hard on the flames raging before him.

The Chosen, feeling a bit awkward just _standing_ there, plopped his butt on the ground not too far from the twelve-year-old. "Well, why aren't you sleeping, too?" he asked, feeling a little like a parent.

"I just can't sleep. That's all," the twelve-year-old replied, his attention still glued to the campfire.

"…I see," was really all Zelos could think of to say. A long, dreadful silence ensued, only interrupted by the crackling of the fire as it licked at its fuel source, its very essence of life.

"…Zelos?"

The red-head nearly jumped at the sound of Genis' voice piercing the quiet stillness. "What is it, kid?"

Genis twisted his head slightly, his sapphire eyes slightly clouded over as he locked his gaze on the red-head. "Do you…hate me?"

"What…?" Zelos spat out, taken aback by such a question. "What would _ever_ give you _that_ idea?"

The half-elf's eyes slowly slid shut as he took in a deep breath through his nostrils. "It's just…I know you don't particularly like half-elves, and…I know I usually act like an annoying, bratty jerk toward you. But…I don't act like that because I despise you, and--"

"I know, kid," Zelos interrupted the younger Sage, holding up his black and salmon gloved hand to silence him. "I will admit, at first I was uncomfortable with you and the Professor around, but…well, as I got to know you guys…suddenly, your race didn't matter. And you're not the only jerk around here; I'm enough of an ass for the both of us." The Chosen threw his head back as he let out a slightly bitter chuckle.

Genis allowed a small smile to grace his lips. "But that's…kind of what I like about you."

"Oh really?" Zelos inquired, cocking a curious brow. "May I ask why?"

"I'm not entirely sure," the white-haired boy admitted, turning his attention to the waning fire. "Your attitude irks me a lot, but…I always find myself laughing when you act like that. Really, _truly_ laughing."

The red-head snorted as he let out a laugh. "Well, ah…I'm glad I can provide entertainment for you," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm glad, too," the little half-elf replied, his grin growing a bit wider.

Flashing his trademark goofy smile, Zelos held out his arms to Genis. "C'mere, kid. Gimme a hug, yeah?"

Genis crawled over to the Chosen, wrapping his small arms around him as best as he could. Zelos embraced the half-elf, ruffling his poofy white hair a bit more for good measure. No longer feeling Genis' arms around him, the red-head looked down, only to see the younger boy cuddling into him. He couldn't help but smile at the gesture as he pulled the half-elf closer. "Get some sleep, kid," he said, his voice gentle and quiet…quite an odd thing coming from him.

"Thank you, Zelos," Genis whispered, allowing his exhausted body to relax against the Chosen's form, sleep quickly overtaking him, his mind completely at ease for the first time in a long while.

"You're welcome, Genis," Zelos muttered, having already realized that he now held a sleeping half-elf in his arms. He absently stroked the younger boy's head, his tired gaze averted elsewhere. "You've got a really great brother, Professor Raine."

"I know," came Raine's sleepy voice as she turned away from Zelos and Genis, finally allowing herself to doze off. She had absolutely no doubt that Genis was in good hands now.

--

Three cheers for cheesy endings.

...I'm off to bed now. I've got work in the morning.

Until next time,  
Chibi


End file.
